Recipients

Developing Quality of Care Indicators for Community-Based Pharmacist Prescribing of Minor Ailments and Contraception (PPMAC) in British Columbia
Funding: $50,000

• Karen Dahri, Associate Professor (Partner), Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
• Arden Barry, Associate Professor (Partner), Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
• Peter Loewen, Associate Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
• Rob Pammett, Associate Professor (Partner), Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
• Parkash Ragsdale, Lecturer and Coordinator, Practice Innovation in Primary Care, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
• Morgan Price, Associate Professor, Director - Innovation Support Unit, Primary Care Informatics L.E.A.D. Lab, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Elka Humphrys, Research and Evaluation Lead, Innovation Support Unit (ISU), Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Jolanta Piszczek, Chair - BC Covid Therapeutics Committee

Project Summary

This project addresses the newly expanded role of BC pharmacists in prescribing for minor ailments and contraception. The project aims to establish quality of care indicators to evaluate and enhance the prescribing practices of pharmacists. It will also explore the enablers and barriers to quality prescribing and propose strategies for implementing these quality measures. The approach includes integrating Ministry data, literature reviews, key informant interviews, and workshops, intending to contribute to improving healthcare delivery by pharmacists in BC. The team consists of pharmacists, healthcare professionals, and researchers with plans to engage health system stakeholders, including the College of Pharmacists of BC, the Ministry of Health, Health Quality BC, and Doctors of BC and focuses on equitable healthcare and integration of patient and community perspectives to ensure the development of inclusive indicators.

Exploring the impact of policy interventions on equitable access to contraception for teens and young adults in British Columbia
Funding: $50,000

• Sarah Munro, Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Skye Barbic, Associate Professor, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Laura Schummers, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
• Wendy V. Norman, Professor, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Jane Xia, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
• Aleyah Williams, Research Manager, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Kaiya Jacob, Youth Partner Lead, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Victoria Paller, Trainee (MSc), Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Zeba Khan, Trainee (PhD), Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• I fan Kuo, Director - Evaluation and Optimal Use, Clinical Services and Evaluation Branch, Pharmaceutical, Laboratory, and Blood Services Division, BC Ministry of Health
• Cheryl Davies, Chief Operating Officer, BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre
• Martha Paynter, Assistant Professor, University of New Brunswick
• Stephanie Begun, Associate Professor, University of Toronto
• Sue Howell, Community Pharmacist

Project Summary

This project aims to assess the effects of recent policy changes on youth access to contraception. It focuses on evaluating the attitudes, knowledge, and experience of youth regarding contraception alongside the implementation perspectives of BC pharmacists. The project uses qualitative methodologies to identify gaps and opportunities within these policies to enhance contraceptive care access for young individuals, thereby addressing critical health system and public health objectives. The team includes health policy, youth services researchers, and a youth partner with representation from the Ministry of Health and BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre as knowledge users, with significant input from young people. The project prioritizes youth perspectives to address policy impacts on contraception access.

Barriers and facilitators to pharmacist contraception prescribing: A qualitative approach to gain a deeper understanding of pharmacist and patient perspectives
Funding: $47,500

• Teri (Theresa) Charrois, Associate Dean of Practice Innovation, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
• Tiana Tilli, Clinical Pharmacist, Lecturer, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
• Nicole Domanski, Clinical Pharmacist, Lecturer, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
• Adrian Ziemczonek, Clinical Pharmacist, Lecturer, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
• Jamie Yuen, Clinical Pharmacist, Lecturer, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
• Bryce Wong, Executive Director, Pharmacy Practice Support & Special Projects, BC Pharmacy Association
• Suzanne Solven, Registrar, CEO, College of Pharmacists of BC

Project Summary

This project seeks to explore the factors influencing the practice of pharmacist-prescribed contraceptives since the expansion of their prescribing rights. Focused on pharmacist and patient perspectives, the project aims to develop interventions that enhance pharmacist confidence and capability in this area, thereby improving patient access to contraception. This qualitative study seeks to leverage interviews and case studies within BC’s health system to produce practical, actionable solutions. The team includes pharmacists and experts in public health who will collaborate with organizations, including the BC Pharmacists Association and the College of Pharmacists of BC, as knowledge users and aims to engage patient groups, emphasizing patient-centred research and incorporation of diverse patient experiences to guide project outcomes.

Barriers and Facilitators for Pharmacists to Prescribe Contraception in BC: a mixed-methods study
Funding: $50,000

• Laura Schummers, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
• Wendy Norman, Professor, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Robert Pammett, Associate Professor (Partner Track), Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
• Sarah Munro, Assistant Professor (Partner Track), Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Elizabeth Nethery, Post-doctoral Fellow, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
• Victoria Paller, Trainee, MSc Student, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Enav Z. Zusman, Trainee, PhD student; Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) graduate, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Bronte Johnston, Trainee, PhD student, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Irene Luong, Trainee, PharmD student, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
• Ishika Bhambhani, Research Assistant, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine UBC Vancouver
• I fan Kuo, Director, Evaluation and Optimal Use, Clinical Services and Evaluation Branch, Pharmaceutical, Laboratory, and Blood Services Division, BC Ministry of Health
• Bryce Wong, Executive Director, Pharmacy Practice Support and Special Projects, BC Pharmacy
• Cheryl Davies, Chief Operating Officer, BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre, Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA)

• Tamiz Kanji, Director, UBC Continuing Pharmacy Professional Development (CPPD)

Project Summary

This project proposes to investigate the expanded role of BC pharmacists in prescribing contraception. The project employs a cross-sectional survey and semi-structured interviews focused on understanding pharmacists’ attitudes, activities, and barriers to prescribing contraception. Aimed at enhancing pharmacist engagement and access to contraception, this research aims to inform health policy-makers to support effective contraceptive care delivery by pharmacists. The team includes experts in reproductive health and pharmacy and the involvement of knowledge users from the BC Ministry of Health and BC Women’s Hospital, with plans to incorporate direct input from patients and pharmacists on contraceptive care barriers throughout the research process.

Technology Enabled Care for Hospital at Home (TEC4HaH): Selecting and Evaluating Patient-Centred Devices for the Safe and Appropriate Use in Hospital at Home
Funding: $49,999.95

• Kendall Ho, Professor and Lead, Department of Emergency Medicine, Digital Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Craig Mitton, Professor, PhD, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Iain McCormick, Clinical Assistant Professor, MD, Division of General Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Sean Spina, Clinical Associate Professor, PharmD, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
• Karen Tran, Clinical Assistant Professor, MD, Division of General Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Karen Dahri, Associate Professor (Partner), PharmD, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
• Sonya Cressman, Evaluation Lead, PhD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Hubert Wong, Assistant Professor, PhD, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Helen Novak Lauscher, Associate Lead, PhD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Joan Assali, Program Manager, MSc, Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Jennifer Cordeiro, Research Coordinator, BAA (Hons), Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Vancouver
• Laurie Flores, Virtual Care Collaborative Lead, RN, Vancouver Island Health
• Tracy Bawtinheimer, Patient Partner, BSc, HeartLife
• Pam Papp, Operations Director, RN, Vancouver Coastal Health

Project Summary

This project aims to improve remote patient monitoring (RPM) for Hospital at Home (HaH) programs across BC. It focuses on assessing and selecting medical devices through a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) approach, involving practitioners, patient partners, and multidisciplinary evaluators. The objective is to develop a logic model and evaluation framework for RPM technology, define HTA methods for device selection, and promote a provincial learning health system to continuously improve HaH services. The team comprises clinicians, technology experts, and a patient partner, with the involvement of regional health authority collaborators, striving for a patient-centred approach to technology assessment. The project will use patient input to select technologies that cater to diverse needs, emphasizing inclusivity in remote monitoring. 

Mobilizing knowledge to inform improved recovery-oriented youth substance use services
Funding: $51,531

• Danya Fast, Assistant Professor, Division of Social Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
• Kora DeBeck, Associate Professor, School of Public Policy, SFU
• Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes, Professor, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
• Seonaid Nolan, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
• Eva Moore, Physician, BC Children's Hospital
• Karen Giang, Physician, Foundry Central
• Caroline Mniszak, Research Librarian, BC Centre on Substance Use
• Cameron Eekhoudt, PhD student, Department of Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
• Trevor Goodyear, PhD student, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC
• Monique Sandhu, MSc student, Department of Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
• Diana Rolan, Youth Collaborator, Youth Health Advisory Council, BC Centre on Substance Use

The project aims to establish a provincial research collaboration that will identify policy and programmatic recommendations to improve care for young people (between the ages of 14 and 24) who use drugs pursuing recovery from substance use disorders (SUDs). Recognition of SUDs as chronic and relapsing and a recovery trajectories perspective have each underscored the importance of connecting youth with evidence-based services across a continuum of care, inclusive of harm reduction, treatment, and abstinence-oriented supports. There is a need to reimagine what recovery and recovery supports for youth and their caregivers looks like, informed by existing literature.

The project will:

• conduct a scoping review to identify qualitative and mixed methods research focused on young people pursuing recovery and their caregivers; and
• engage with stakeholders to discuss the findings of the scoping review and inform a final report.

Role of opioid agonist treatment in a substance use strategy for BC youth
Funding: $86,423

• Skye Barbic, Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
• Steve Mathias, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, UBC; Executive Director, Foundry
• Kirsten Marchand, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Occupational Science and
• Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
• Roberto Sassi, Associate Professor and Head, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, UBC; Psychiatrist-in-Chief, BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre
• Rodney Knight, Research Scientist, BC Centre for Substance Use
• David Marsh, Associate Dean Research, Innovation and International Relations, Northern Ontario School of Medicine; Adjunct Scientist, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences North
• Dan Nixon, Youth Engagement Specialist, Foundry
• Renee Cormier, Lead, Knowledge Exchange and Special Projects, Foundry
• Jo Henderson, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto; Executive Director, Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario; Senior Scientist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
• Kristin Cleverley, Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto; Senior Scientist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
• Chloe Gao, MD/PhD student, Faculty of Medicine, UBC

The overall goal of this research study is to understand and differentiate the implementation and measurement of a range of opioid agonist treatment (OAT) service delivery models for youth in diverse settings (e.g., primary care, integrated youth services, community, hospital, residential services, rapid access clinics, etc.) and develop a consensus for best practices that are fit for purpose for youth in the larger context of a substance use strategy for youth in BC.

The team will undertake three key activities, which have been developed in collaboration with Foundry, BC’s provincial network of integrated youth services:

• a systematic review, including peer reviewed and grey literature to produce a publication;
• validation of the systematic review findings with 20-25 experts via semi-structure interviews; and
• development of consensus guidelines and subsequent knowledge mobilization.

Mental health crisis response indicators
Funding: $150,000

• Mary Elizabeth Snow, Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, UBC; Scientist and Program Head, Evaluation, Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences
• Michelle Carter, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Psychiatry, St. Paul’s Hospital
• Mohamed Ibrahim, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, Faculty of Arts, UBC
• Maja Kolar, Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing; Faculty of Applied Science, UBC; Director, Mental Health Act Practice and Standards, Vancouver Coastal Health/Providence Health Care
• Marina Morrow, Professor and Chair, School of Health Policy and Management, Faculty of Health, York University
• Angela Russolillo, Director, Mental Health Clinical Research, Providence Health Care
• Amy Salmon, Clinical Associate Professor, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, UBC; Associate Director, Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences
• Colleen Varcoe, Professor Emeritus, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC
• Camia Weaver, Instructor, School of Criminology, SFU; Sessional Faculty, Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of the Fraser Valley

The research goal is to develop an indicator set to evaluate mobile mental health (MH) crisis response from the perspective of people with lived and living experience (PWLLE). The indicator set will be usable for comparative evaluations of different MH crisis responses, including civilian-led (e.g. peer-assisted care teams) and joint civilian-police response programs in BC. The team anticipates both qualitative and quantitative indicators related to risks and benefits of mobile MH crisis response, including recommendations to promote equity-oriented, person-centred, and trauma-informed approaches.

The team will conduct a jurisdictional scan of mobile MH crisis response in North America to identify knowledge gaps broadly. It will leverage existing mechanisms to recruit PWLLE receiving these services to participate in focus groups, including participants from northern BC, Indigenous and racialized populations, and refugees. The team will present the review summary to the groups and capture their perspectives on additional indicators. The team will also consult with 10-15 organizations that provide services to PWLLE receiving these services. A final report will include recommendations for implementing the indicator set.

Bridging the gap between expanded pharmacist services and payment models
Funding: $250,000

• Wei Zhang, Assistant Professor, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, UBC; Scientist and Program Head of Health Economics, Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences
• Olivia Tseng, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine, UBC; Associate Research Member, Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation
• Nick Bansback, Associate Professor, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, UBC; Program Head, Decision Sciences, Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences
• Mark Harrison, Associate Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC; Scientist, Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences
• Michael Law, Professor and Faculty, Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
• Larry Lynd, Associate Dean Research, Professor, and Director of Collaboration for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC
• Craig Mitton, Professor, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, UBC; Senior Scientist, Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation
• Peter Zed, Associate Professor and Member, Collaboration for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC

This project aims to generate evidence on different pharmacy payment models using a combination of administrative data, stakeholder views, a jurisdictional scan, and existing studies. It will be conducted by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in health policy, health economics, pharmacy practice, and payment models.

Specific objectives are to:

• characterize how pharmacies in BC are compensated, including the use of expanded pharmacist services over time using BC administrative data;
• identify barriers and enablers to the delivery of clinical services by pharmacists, in particular the role that payment models might play. This will include interviews and/or focus groups of stakeholders, including pharmacists, patients, pharmacy owners, physicians, and decision makers in BC;
• review and identify the strengths and limitations of potential pharmacist remuneration models via a jurisdictional scan of the Canadian and international academic and grey literature; and
• make comprehensive recommendations to improve the existing model or introduce new payment model(s) by synthesizing the evidence from the above through iterative discussions among decision makers and health policy researchers. Recommendations will be prioritized based on their feasibilities and potential impacts.